Bad Love an Alpha’s Regret by Elise Sinclair

Chapter 270

I’m glad to climb back into the safety of the SUV with James after leaving the meeting with Ryker.

There wasn’t much left to say after Ryker made his ultimatum. He’s not going to help me get the Al tech back, not if it means moving against his mate.

I know I should heed his warning.

No one in their right mind pits themselves against the Old

Country Wolves and expects to survive.

But the tech–and whatever damage it might do is my

responsibility.

My family built it, and my family lost it.

No matter the cost, I have to get it back. Then decide whether to hand it over to the military like it was supposed to be, or destroy it and tell the military that the project failed.

“This isn’t good, Leah,” James says once we start driving.

“Tell me about it,” I mutter despondently. “But it doesn’t change things.”

“It doesn’t?” James says incredulously. “Leah, you heard Ryker. If you go after Karolina, he will come for you. Even Aaron was smart enough not to cross the Old Country Wolves.”

“In the past, maybe,” I reply, ignoring the tightness in my chest and the tears that prick my eyes. “But if he was here now, I know he’d be thinking about doing exactly that.”

God, I wish Aaron was here right now.

My entire body aches with wanting my mate.

My heart and soul are in agony, wounded in a way I know I’m never going to recover from. Not until I meet Aaron again in the next life.

“Things are different now,” I keep going, shoving all those

feelings down to be dealt with later when I can be alone. “The

are too high. We can’t just wash our hands of this Al tech and be done with it.

with yourself if the tech got used

even millions–of people died?

it started turning it against

rival packs? Would you

yourself in the mirror and not feel the

deaths?”

I couldn’t live with that.

going

reply. “We’ll just have to do it in a way

and I spend a few

start coming to me. “Is there a way

look happy about my idea, but then again, he hasn’t looked happy about

not that

Good.

like

where the missing

on it–or, god forbid–get ready

go

1. it.

good idea of all the places she

out those places ourselves and see if that gets

us anywhere.

we get back to Rathborn

me goodnight, and we go our separate

sleeping soundly in his crib across the hall in the

go into Aaron’s room, then into the luxuriously appointed bathroom.

want to wash the

large mattress and collapse in the middle,

pillows.

faintest hint of

day soon it’ll be gone, just like he’s gone.

distant future, I won’t even remember what he smells like any